In a real auction room, the item is only sold when there are no further bids. We at Sailroom feel this should also be the case in a virtual auction room, therefore as a great feature we have a snipping feature, this means that if an item is finishing and a bid is placed in the last 30 seconds the auction is automatically extended for 5 minutes, and so on until there are no further bids. This way all interested parties have the option to go the their maximum bids to try to win the auction. We feel this should be viewed as a positive.
ABOUT ME
Write a feature about yourself or your shop.
From this page, you can create a simple "About Me" page. ATTENTION:Enabling this page will automatically disable your store!
Contacting Buyers & Sellers, Leaving Feedback and using the instant message board facility, track your purchases and sales.
This facility has been designed to enable buyers and sellers to contact each other easily, once a sale or purchase has been made, without having to use e-mail.
To access this go to the "Members Section" click on "Bidding" if you have won an item and "Selling" if you have sold. The top line of these pages will either say
"Buying Totals" or "Selling Totals" (in bold and underlined) it should then say View Won Items or View Sold Item(s) Details click on this. This will bring up every transaction you have carried out. To the right hand side of each item there are several options you can click on as follows:
i. Message Board - Access buyer / seller address, this also gives you a direct contact telephone number which keeps the buying/selling process pleasant ( and in our experience makes the transactions much more secure) This facility also enables you to interact with the buyer / seller to advise of delivery etc.
To send a mesage type in what you would like to say in the blank box then click Add Message you will instantly see what you have typed and any responses.
ii. Leave Comments - This is just like the feedback system of other auction sites (leave 5 stars for excellent - 0 for very poor service)
iii. View or send invoices (NB: Don't forget to tick the postage if this is included)
iv. Send bank details - if you wish to have direct payment.
v. Delete - the transaction can be deleted when all is complete and you are satisfied.
You will also notice there is a section with Purchase Date / Sold Date & Status. This enables you to track the proceedings of each sale or purchase, just change the drop down menu accordingly to do this.
HOW TO REGISTER
Registering is simple
Registration is simple, free and only takes a matter minutes. You must be over 16 years to be able to register.
To start the registration process, click on the "REGISTER" icon at the top of the home page. Please complete all the fields with your information, failure to complete any of the required information will result in an error. Once complete, you will be redirected to the confirmation page. Your will recieve a confirmation e-mail and you need to acknowledge this to activate your account.
Once you have registered you will be able to access your account to update information, keep track of what you are buying (bidding) or selling, and contact buyers
Step One - Once you have signed up for an account, you will be able to sell items through the site.
In order to do that, you will have to click on the Sell link (at the top of the home page) you will then be redirected to a new page. Select the main category of the product or service you want to sell. This feature has been made in order to ease the subcategory choosing process. No items can be sold by choosing only the main category; you will have to choose a subcategory for it (you can currently chooses as many subcategories as you choose).
Step Two is entering the auction details, settings, payment methods available, and choosing a category. The first image you choose if free that will come with the auction is free of charge, but the admin may charge for adding additional pictures (currently no charges apply).
On the Auction Settings tab, you can choose the type of the auction, the start price, whether to activate buy now or set a reserve price. Also, you will be able to choose what type of bid increment to use, the progressive one implemented into the site (that can be edited from the admin area), or a custom one. If you choose the custom one, you will have to enter an increment value.
You will also be able to choose whether to feature the item, and the duration of the auction. After setting the location, shipping and payment and subcategory, and by clicking on the Next Step button, you will be redirected to -
Step Three where you can review the auction before submitting. If everything is in order, you can click on the Submit button, and will be redirected to the payment page, (or a confirmation page, as currently there are no fees to pay)
The auction is activated once the payment is confirmed by the payment gateway, or instantly, if no fees need to be paid.
Closed Auctions - The "My Closed Auctions" area, you will see all auctions submitted by yourself, and that have closed. You can choose from this section to edit, delete or re-list, this will save you time as you will not have to enter all the details for a second time.
Auctions Not Started - Auctions where you have listed the details of things to sell but have yet to decide when it will start
Sold Items -Once an item is sold you are also able to access details of the buyer. If there is a selling fee at the end of the auction (this is currently not being charged) ,the seller will have to pay for this before access to the buyers information is enabled. - Feedback is also accessible from here.
Opened Auctions - In the "My Opened Auctions" area, you will see details of all auctions you currently have open; if no bids have been submitted on an open auction you can edit the auction (there is currently no charge for this).
To make things easier for you to list you can prefill your required payment method and shipping details into the site, this will save you having to do this each time you list an item.
(Also, don't forget the great feature of the BULK LISTER, this has all the instructions on how to set it up under the facility itself).
To do so, go to "My Account" and click on selling, then click on the link in the top box under the icons "Set Up Prefilled Auction Fields" or click on this link http://www.sailroom.co.uk/prefilledfields.php and fill in the details you would prefer, this will save you time.
You can now start to sell.
HOW TO BID & BUY
The Bidding and Buying Process
Bidding - you will be able to see the items you are currently bidding on and the status of the bids
How to Bid -(1)Login to your account If you have not registered you can do so within 5 minutes (2)Visit the auction page (3) Towards the bottom of the auction description page you will see a bidding box, you can use the shortcut link to the bidding box if you wish. (4) Enter in your bid, note you must bid above the minimum bid required (5)Click on the place bid button (6) You will then be asked to confirm you bid, once you have done so your bid will be entered, if successful you will receive a confirmation message. If you bid fails to outbid the current high bidder you will be offered the option to place a higher bid.
Types of Bids
Proxy bidding- this can aid your chances of winning an auction and help avoid you being outbid at the last moment. To place a proxy bid enter in the maximum price you are willing to pay for the item. If another user places a bid on the same auction, automatic bids will be placed on your behalf not exceeding your maximum bid amount. With proxy bidding you will pay the lowest possible price until someone else places a higher bid.
Buy it now auctions - Buy it now prices are set by the seller, if you agree with that price, you can click on the Buy Now button which is displayed on the auction details page. After clicking on the button you will be re-directed to a confirmation page. If you are happy to proceed please follow the stages required.
Dutch Auction, the auctioneer has several items of the same product for sale. The bidder will enter a maximum bid he is willing to pay for an item, and the number of items he wants to purchase. The highest bidder(s) will receive the number of items they have bid on, and the remaining bidders will receive the number of items still available at the price of the highest bid. Buyers are able to bid more than once for the same item.
On a standard auction, the auction will end instantly as the item has been sold via Buy it now. On a Dutch auction, you can enter the amount of items you wish to buy (depending on the quantity available). If you purchase less than there are available in total, the auction will remain open with the number of items left available, after you have purchased the amount you want.
Items I've won - By clicking on this link from the, you will be able to see the details of the seller, and make contact with him in order to perfect the sale.
Items I'm Watching - You can increase you bids from here on any item that has not closed that you are interested in. The item watch features lets you keep a close eye on any auction without having to place a bid on it. This feature means you can be kept up to date on how an auction is doing and prepares you to place a winning last minute bid. You can watch any auction by clicking on the Watch this item link on any auction page.
DETAILS (PERSONAL INFORMATION)
Personal Infomation
You can edit your personal information using this page, except for your username. You can also change the password for the account.
If the password and confirm password fields are left empty, then the password will remain the same.
HISTORY
Buying & Selling History Infomation
Access all activities that you have undertaken be it buying or selling via this link
REPUTATION (FEEDBACK)
Leaving Feedback
From this page, you will be able to see the feedback you have received, and leave feedback for other users. Once a sale has been processed, both the seller and the buyer will be able to leave feedback for each other. The feedback rating is from one star to five stars, please leave a comment as this is an integral part to the success of buying and selling process, and enables others to see you have confidence in the buyer/seller. Feedback can only be left once, and it cannot be edited afterwards. The site admin will reserve its right to delete malicious or untrue feedback.
If you are or would like to run a store all the information that is required will be via this route, please complete all the required information. If you require help please contact Chris at Sales@sailroom.co.uk
WANTED ADS
Don't forget this great feature someone out there may have just what you are looking for.
Wanted ads are a new and increasingly popular feature. As an advertiser you can list adverts for items you want and sellers can submit offers for items they are selling. It's a quick, simple and hassle free way of sellers being able to meet buyers demands. Submit from here any details for items that you require and that are not currently for sale and hopefully someone will respond to your ad.
Advertiser (Buyer) List a new wanted ad and wait for sellers to contact you with offers. If you receive an offer your happy with you can bid on the item!
SellersBrowse the wanted ads and if you see one that matches an item your selling make an offer and tell the buyer you have just what they are looking for!
KEY ELEMENTS (WHICH SHOULD ASSIST YOU)
There is another important section just beneath the 7 Icons on "My Account" page , which you may find useful. This has three headers as follows :
Go to -
Auction watch - Insert a key word to search for selected products that you require. An email will be sent to your email address every time an auction is setup, that contains the 'keyword' in its name or description. For example; if you are looking for a wetsuit you could enter in those keywords. Each time a new auction is listed containing the word wetsuit you will be notified by SailRoom directly. You can enter in as many keywords as you like.
Item watch - these are items that you have watched at different times, and if you like specific searches this enables you to recall these itmes, should you wish to remove these just click the delete.
Abuse report - If you feel that a user is abusing the site, please report these via this section, to the admin managers, Your information will not be used and full discretion will be applied, safeguarding any auctions and protecting all members.
REPORTING USERS WHO MAY ABUSE THE SYSTEM
If you feel that a user is abusing the site, please report ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES to the admin managers at admin@sailroom.co.uk
Your information will not be used and full discretion will be applied, safeguarding any auctions and protecting all members.
To report activities go to "My Account" directly underneath the Main Icons there is a section with Auction Watch, Item Watch and Abuse Report, click on this section and a simple two stage guide will take you through the proceedure.
REQUIRING FREE HELP WITH BUYING OR SELLING
Should you require any help with selling your items, our dedicated sales team are here to assist you. Please e-mail Sales@sailroom.co.uk and we will be more than pleased to help.
CONTACT US
We are interested in your views about the site with regards to improvements, so if you would like to see a new category that you would make selling your items easier please, or find certain aspects hard to understand or read please contact Louise in our administration department at louise@sailroom.co.uk where we will gladly look into your request.
If you require help with sales, or listings please contact Chris sales@sailroom.co.uk he will be more than happy to help.
